Author: David Great

Newcastle United have agreed a deal in principle with Lille to sign defender Sven Botman for a fee of £32m with a further £2.5m in add-ons. Dutchman Botman, 22, has completed his medical on Tyneside and agreed terms on a five-year contract. The formalities of the transfer are set to be concluded this week. But Newcastle’s move for French forward Hugo Ekitike from Ligue 1 club Reims looks to be over after a deal could not be agreed. It is understood the player’s agent’s demands proved a stumbling block to the move for the 20-year-old going through. France Under-20 international…

An Iyaganku Family Court in Ibadan on Tuesday ordered that two herdsmen be remanded in the Agodi Correctional facility for alleged armed robbery. The police charged Abdulkareem Yusuf, 22 and Umaru Kessi, 22, with armed robbery. Chief Magistrate S. H. Adebisi, also ordered that the 11-year-old boy charged alongside Yusuf and Kessi be remanded in Ijokodo Juvenile centre in Ibadan. Adebisi did not take the plea of the suspects for want in jurisdiction. He adjourned the matter until July 11, for mention. Earlier, the defence counsel to the herdsmen, M.A. Yusuf prayed the court to admit his clients to bail.…

…seeks measures to avert crisis in judiciary The Senate has mandated the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, to go ahead with the probe of the crisis in the Judiciary by looking into the complaints raised in the petition by the Justices of the Supreme Court. It also tasked the Committee to interface with the three arms of government, as well as at the Bar and on the Bench to collate aggregate views and positions on the short term, medium term and long term measures needed to decisively address the crisis facing the judiciary. According to the Senate,…

Manchester United have reached a broad agreement over a 65m euro (£56m) fee, plus add-ons, with Barcelona for the Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong. However, club sources say the deal is not done and there are still significant issues to work through. But the development is seen as positive in terms of the transfer eventually reaching a conclusion. The 25-year-old is new United manager Erik ten Hag’s number one summer transfer target. Ten Hag led training for the first time on Monday with his non-international players. De Jong makes Man Utd decision United are still to make any signings this…

Gabriel Jesus is having a medical at Arsenal before a £45m move from Manchester City. The 25-year-old Brazil forward has been wanted by a number of clubs, both in the Premier League and in Europe, but has opted to join the Gunners. Jesus has made 236 appearances and scored 95 goals for City since moving from Palmeiras in January 2017. He has won four Premier League titles during his time at Etihad Stadium, plus three League Cups and the FA Cup. His playing time next season was likely to be limited after City signed Norway forward Erling Haaland from Borussia…

Senate President Ahmad Lawan says that efforts will be made by the National Assembly to amend the electoral act to serve as safeguard against weaknesses identified in the law. Lawan made this known in a short remark on Tuesday during plenary, following a matter of national importance brought to the floor by Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (PDP, Kebbi North). Lawan, in his remark, described the judgement by the Supreme Court on Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act as a “landmark” judgment that vindicates the National Assembly. According to him, further amendment of the Act would strengthen it ahead of the 2023…

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed a fresh bail application filed by leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. Justice Binta Nyako, in a ruling, said the application for bail was an abuse of court process. The judge said she was not satisfied with the reasons the IPOB leader gave for his failure to appear in court for continuation of his trial. The trial judge noted that from records of the court, Kanu, was represented by his lawyer on the day his bail was revoked, likewise his sureties. “In fact, his sureties told…

As Nigeria countdown to the 2023 general election, there have been fireworks about the certificates of some candidates with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu the top of the bunch. On Saturday, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, was in the news for not presenting his academic certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). While Tinubu skipped information regarding his primary and secondary education in the INEC form, he however stated that he attended Chicago State University. Tinubu’s latest claims appear to contradict his previous submissions, especially in 1999, when he ran and won the Lagos State governorship…

The head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mahamet Annadif has reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting Nigeria in conducting peaceful elections in 2023. UN Spokesperson, Mr Stéphane Dujarric, told correspondents at a news conference in New York on Monday, that Annadif gave the assurance when he met with the Chairman and members of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission. According to Dujarric, Annadif is in Nigeria for a two-day visit to meet Nigerian authorities, civil society, the diplomatic community as well as UN staff. “In a Tweet, he said he reiterated the UN’s commitment to…

The Federal Government has threatened to sanction any fuel stations or depot selling above the stipulated approved pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). The threat followed the persistent fuel scarcity being witnessed in the FCT and its environs as well as in other parts of the country. Mr Farouk Ahmed, Authority Chief Executive, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) gave the warning on Monday during a joint inspection on fuel stations in Abuja. The exercise was carried out in collaboration with some top officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Petroleum Pipeline and Marketing Company…